Gorbachev's message "Peace in the 21st Century" focuses on global peace in addition to environmental and sustainable development policies as a method to promote peace.

FGCU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs Bonnie Yegidis, who spearheaded development of the University Lecture Series, selected Gorbachev because FGCU's student learning outcome for the 2005-06 academic year is "ecological perspective" which emphasizes the impact of individuals on systems, particularly the environment.

The first parliament in Soviet history elected Gorbachev as president in 1990. After leaving office, the Nobel Laureate created The International Non-Governmental Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies (The Gorbachev Foundation) in 1992 to provide in-depth analysis of the evolving social, economic and political conditions around a globalizing world.

A year later, Gorbachev became president of Green Cross International, an international independent environmental organization with branches in more than 20 countries. He also chairs the United Russian Social Democratic Party.

According to The Gorbachev Foundation web site, www.gorby.ru/en http://www.gorby.ru/en, the overall motto of the organization is "Toward a New Civilization" and the Foundation's aim is "to help assert democratic values and moral, humanistic principles in the life of society. In a globalizing world, the search for guidelines in building a new, more equitable international order is increasingly important."

FGCU offers free tickets to the public beginning 2006 for the one hour lecture and question-and-answer period. The University posts updated information on the University Lecture Series web site, www.fgcu.edu/uls http://www.fgcu.edu/uls, as it becomes available.

In addition to the lecture, FGCU hosts a press conference for the media and an intimate dinner with Gorbachev for major donors to the University Lecture Series.

For future programming, FGCU is seeking a donor to endow a $2 million gift that could support the University Lecture Series in perpetuity. The Series, which this year featured renowned author and poet Maya Angelou, was created to expand the world of ideas and creative expression, but FGCU hopes to further develop it into a program of even greater consequence for students and the community.